boat that he was hiding in during that dramatic manhunt. >> away from the shield protective cover. and we just rushed him. we put hands on him. grabbed him. and pulled him off the boat. >> and we're hearing for the first time from the gas station manager who helped the man carjacked by the tsarnaev brothers. brand-new sound this morning. plus, a terror plot foiled. two men accused of planning to carry out an al qaeda attack on a passenger train between canada and the united states. we'll tell you about the damage they hope to inflict in a life report. a lot of news. it is tuesday, april 23rd. a special edition of "starting point" begins right now. he can hardly speak but terror suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is talking or at least communicating, big new developments this morning in the boston marathon bombing

investigation. cnn's jake tapper has learned that tsarnaev is communicating with investigators, and claims that he and his brother pulled off last week's bombing of the marathon and also that their motivation seems to be that of jihadists. cnn's chief washington correspondent and anchor of "the lead" jake tapper is with us this morning. and jake, what are your sources telling you about these communications. >> u.s. government source tells me that in these preliminary interviews with dzhokhar tsarnaev, and he underlines they're preliminary, all the information that dzhokhar is giving needs to be checked out, that investigators are not taking his word for it, but what he is saying is that first of all, there were no foreign groups involved in the attacks. second, he's saying that there is an online component to how these brothers were radicalized. they watched videos online. they got information online. there doesn't seem to be any communication, any e-mail with anyone. but that is how they were radicalized. and also, according to dzhokhar, and this squares with what we

know about the family dynamic, and also what you would expect him to say, the older brother, tamerlan, was the driving force behind these terrorist attacks. based on what the investigators are getting from dzhokhar, this government sore tells me that the brothers, according to dzhokhar, seem to be self-radicalized, self-starters. they were motivated by the driving train of thought was jihadist thought. and all the governments -- i'm sorry all the political or religious implications that entails the idea being, of course, that they thought they construed islam to be under attack and needed to fight back. that's what they're saying based on initial interviews, preliminary interviews with dzhokhar. >> where he's speaking, communicating by writing, by hand signals, nodding? >> not speaking. communicating through nodding, through writing and other ways of nonverbal. he has that bullet wound to his throat. he can't really speak. he spoke one word in that interview with the magistrate yesterday. >> no. >> he said no. and the magistrate said let the record reflect that i believe

the defendant, the suspect, is saying no. he's not really able to converse. it's through writing and nodding. >> all right. jake, let's talk about this reporting right now with fran townsend, a cnn security analyst also a former homeland security adviser to president george w. bush. and, fran, jake's got some information here that could be crucial right now dzhokhar tsarnaev saying he and his brother had no communication with any outside foreign elements and that they were radicalized by watching videos online. does that make sense to you? >> good morning, jake. good morning, john. you know, look, it does make sense to me that he could have been radicalized by looking in videos and learning things on the internet. all of that makes sense. we know that the bomb recipe for the pressure cooker bomb is on the internet and available. here's the part that doesn't make sense. i mean, jake rightly points out, investigators are not taking this as gospel. they're going to have to run down investigative leads. we've seen cases where these guys got these recipes, these bomb recipes off the internet

and they even went overseas for training and still couldn't get them to detonate. here's a case where the brothers have three separate pressure cooker bombs, two at the end of the marathon route, and one in the chase with police in watertown. all three successfully detonate. hard to imagine, hard to believe, frankly, that they could have gotten that off the internet and just gotten lucky without some real training involved. i think what you're going to find is investigators will focus on the older brother's time in russia, traveling overseas where he might have had access to individuals who had greater experience in bombmaking capability. >> three bombs seemed to work well. at least two of them as timing devices. >> just to understore what fran was saying. this is what dzhokhar is saying in the initial interviews. i think her skepticism is well founded. even though there's a lot of talk about how these were crude bombs. i guess on the spectrum of bombs they weren't incredibly

technological. but she's right, this was a very professional operation up until it happened. obviously their escape plan was wanting. the idea they were able to put these bombs together, create the havoc and mayhem and commit the horrible terrorist acts they're alleged to have committed suggests it's not some training, then at least a lot of practice. >> there's one other thing i want to bring up with fran now. assume they were radicalized by watching videos online. does it seem unbelievable that they then would not try to reach out to other people who at least agree with them? >> that's part of the real focus. remember, there was the national security that the investigators used to question him. the information that jake's talking about, that's where that was gleaned. the focus was to ask him those very questions. were there additional explosives? were there additional individuals? that's the focus of the fbi. they want to know are there other individuals out there? this was very sophisticated.

let's remember, the first bomb that exploded was the furthest away. and the runners running toward it when it exploded would have naturally turned around and run back in the opposite direction where we know the second bomb went off. so this was a very -- while the devices are crude, the planning, the execution, and remember, you know, we've all said that why didn't they have an escape plan? well, remember what we know now is they had additional explosives, right? they used those in the watertown chase. and they may have planned follow-on attacks. so it may be they weren't planning to flee quite yet. >> that's right it may not have been an escape plan it might have been an attack plan they had. stick around, there's a lot of new developments we want to unpack all morning. including we're learning more about the tsarnaev brothers and how they allegedly pulled off their terror plot of the boston marathon. the criminal complaint against dzhokhar tsarnaev detailing really moment by moment how this unfolded. and our coverage continues right

now this morning with miguel marquez, who is outside the beth israel deaconess medical center in boston. that is where dzhokhar tsarnaev is being treated as we speak this morning. miguel? >> and he is on a ventilator. he's sedated, and he's also chained to his bed, or restrained there. this is the criminal complaint that contains the first of what we expect will be many charges. in the criminal complaint, investigators built a minute by minute account of the tsarnaev brothers as they moved the crowds at the marathon. at one point dzhokhar had his phone to his ear. maybe a ruse. seconds later, the first bomb. only then does he begin to walk away from the bag he's left amid the crowd. ten seconds later, the second bomb is detonated. we are also learning about his older brother, tamerlan

tsarnaev. in 2009, he was arrested for domestic assault after his girlfriend said he beat her up. last year, he openly argued with a preacher at a mosque he sometimes attended, telling him that holiday celebrations were not allowed by islam. again, last january, he disrupted a sermon about martin luther king, calling the civil rights leader a nonbeliever. the revelations and charges just as this city is struggling to recover a moment of silence marking one week since the attack from the oval office and around the country. a solemn tribute. >> -- in boston, almost every spot in this city is silent and still. >> reporter: another step toward normal, boylston street turned over by federal investigators to the city of boston.

in a sign of the investigation's intensity, a tree, possibly touched by dzhokhar removed, taken as evidence, and photos of dzhokhar withdrawing money from an atm after a carjacking and the murder of m.i.t. police officer sean collier. this, as the victims continue to heal. 50 in the hospital. two still critical. for some seriously injured, hope. >> nearly all of the patients that have lost legs are already walking the halls with physical therapists. >> reporter: still, grim reminders here, just about everywhere. in medford the funeral for 29-year-old krystle campbell. the church overflowing, the grief unbearable. now that boston has control of boylston street again throughout the day today residents and businesses will be allowed back in there, and the hope is, in the next day or two, it will be open to the general public. john, back to you.

>> that's right, miguel marquez, thank you so much. boylston street right behind me will be open. as you said residents and people who work there. and one other note, there will be a memorial service for the m.i.t. police officer sean collier tomorrow and vice president joe biden and dr. jill biden are both planning to attend. we know the tsarnaev brothers spent several years in the republic of dagestan in the russian caucasus. that's where their parents still live today. cnn's nick naturen walsh has been working the scene there. he joins us now from the capital. what have you learned this morning. >> john, i had a lengthy talk with zubeida tsarnaev, the brother of the two alleged boston bombers. very emotional, having in the last few hours, early morning actually seen social media video which shows of course tamerlan tsarnaev, that confirms to her that she was, in fact dead. she had when i spoke to her

hours earlier believed he was still alive. clearly incredibly distraught, but now believing he is deceased. telling me that she believes his sisters and perhaps uncle will be taking his body to a mosque in cambridge, massachusetts, for burial either today or tomorrow. that was something that u.s. officials can confirm, whether his body is being released to them. but greatly distraught. talking about how she doesn't believe he can have a fair trial. still really, i think, in disbelief at the allegations against him and saying, in fact, that his ability to speak is because, quote, they've taken his voice, in some sort of bid to suggest that he's being silenced to prevent him from defending himself. deeply, deemly upset, talking about how her life has become worthless because she's lost one son and they may kill the other, she said, if the death penalty is applied. and then after this lengthy conversation we had 1450e eventually emerged into the street behind me near her house, a crowd of journalists waiting for her to make a statement

there. left in a car but actual as she was walking away i asked her why did your son die and she quite controversially turned to me and said to me in english, because they were muslims. i think that will be part of the defense the family puts up here, that there is some sort of conspiracy against their sons. they don't believe the evidence offered by u.s. officials, and i think they may be in the u.s. soon to pursue that argument. john? >> all right, nick paton walsh in dagestan for us this morning. speaking to the mother of the suspect. nick, our thanks to you. dzhokhar tsarnaev may have conveyed that there was no foreign terrorist groups that were involved in these attacks but there are certainly lingering questions like somehow do the brothers get their guns? how did they get the explosive supplies? barbara starr joins us from washington right now with that angle. what can you tell us? >> good morning, john. you're absolutely right. the claim by the younger brother, of course, is that they acted alone. but investigators want to know

if there is someone, somewhere, who knows how they pulled it off. one week after authorities say that tsarnaev brothers atacked boston -- >> the two suspects were armed with handguns at the scene of the shoot-out. >> reporter: but neither brother had a license for a gun. a senior u.s. official says investigators are looking at the brothers' connections to any individuals or groups that might have trained them to make explosives, or supplied them with material. and what did russia know about the older brother, tamerlan tsarnaev, an aspiring boxer? in 2011, russia asked the fbi to look into his activities even before tsarnaev spent six months in russia last year. >> did he sit in his aunt and uncle's home for six months? or was he doing something else? and when he came back to this country, why didn't it ring a bell with the fbi intelligence unit that he should be checked

out? and vetted again. >> reporter: the russians asked the u.s. to check out tamerlan because, quote, his lifestyle had changed. after coming home from russia, his youtube channel carried radical videos, as well as names of militant leaders. as for his younger brother, the wounded dzhokhar tsarnaev, controversy in washington over what to do with him. >> he will not be treated as an enemy combatant. we will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice. >> i strongly disagree with the obama administration's decision to rule out enemy combatant status for this suspect. >> reporter: and the question of whether the fbi dropped the ball in 2011 when it looked at tamerlan tsarnaev's activity will be the subject of a closed-door briefing on capitol hill later today, when law enforcement officials brief lawmakers. john? >> all right, barbara starr, thanks so much.

barbara starr in washington. i want to bring back fran townsend, cnn analyst, former homeland security adviser to president george w. bush. and fran, i want to get your take here. where do you think the investigation stands right now? we've had these initial criminal complaints given dzhokhar tsarnaev. we've seen sort of the case laid out just a little bit. but how about the investigation itself? what are the next steps? >> well, first of all, we know from investigators that they're cooperating with the russians. i talked to sources, federal sources, and the cooperation between russian authorities and the fbi is quite good. both want to understand what they might have missed, what they should have seen, and what they should have made of it as this case is unfolding. you know, there are questions about the older brother tamerlan's travels to russia, what he did and who he met with. those are the sorts of questions that are following up. in the meantime, here in the united states, they're going back over additional videos, pictures, cell phone records, credit card records, and contacts. you know, who are their

associates in the united states? and who might have seen even a small hint that these brothers severely radicalized might have taken action. so we've seen searches in the boston area over the last several days. and i think you're going to continue to see law enforcement activity for some time as they stitch together the additional details that will create the narrative that either the subject of a trial, or a plea, or even if there is a plea, there will be certainly a penalty phase at which it's discussed what is the appropriate punishment for dzhokhar. >> we're hearing from at least a lawyer for tamerlan tsarnaev's wife katherine russell. he says, of course, that he has talked to investigators and will cooperate with police. that she's wroeoverwrought righ now. what kind of information do you think investigators want to get from her? i should say she knows according to reports that she does not understand russian or other languages that he may have been speaking all the time, so she probably only knows part of the story. >> that's right.

she would have had an interesting perspective into the relationship between the two brothers. how much time they were spending together. who were they associating with? what were they doing when they were together? i mean, you know, she will have a very intimate view of what that relationship was like. you know, and let's remember, dzhokhar the younger brother who's still living has been in the united states since he was 8 years old. so the likelihood that he and his brother were communicating in russian, we don't know. but she will still be able to provide investigators with a perspective, and a real insider's view about the relationship between the two brothers, and others that they may have associated with. >> a unique perspective about how tamerlan tsarnaev lived for so long. fran townsend, thank you so much. thanks for being with us. stick around. a lot to talk about this morning. meantime, investigators say they are reviewing reports that tamerlan tsarnaev may have been involved in a gruesome triple homicide two years ago that remains unsolved today. that happened in waltham,

massachusetts, nearby here. former acquaintances say one of tsarnaev's close friends 25-year-old brandon met was found murdered in a suburban boston apartment in 2011, along with two other men. they had all their throats slashed and their bodies were found covered in marijuana. and this just in to cnn, the gas station manager who helped the man carjacked by the tsarnaev brothers last thursday night, he is speaking to cnn. he called police after the victims entered his star, instead he was frightened. >> after maybe ten seconds i called the police. he came here, he was inside, and he closed the door, and i called the police. but i remember a gun, they want to shoot me. he was very, very -- he screaming, and he was nervous.

so -- for me to tell you. >> we also have an exclusive look this morning at the tactics that a s.w.a.t. team employed to arrest dzhokhar tsarnaev. even in the tense final moments as team members slowly approached the boat, they did not know if tsarnaev would pull a weapon out or maybe an explosive device. they described their precise movements to anderson cooper. listen. >> we got close enough that at one point where both of his hands were up because of the rocking back and forth, both of his hands were up, we could see that there were no weapons in them, no ignition devices we broke away from the shield protective cover. and we just rushed him. put hands on him, grabbed him and pulled him off the boat down onto the grounds. >> the reason the s.w.a.t. team immediately pulled off his shirt, of course, was to check if he was wearing some kind of explosive device, perhaps, even a suicide vest. here's what we can expect today

here in boston. boylston street right behind me will open to residents and business owners. this evening the congress investigates the fbi examining of tamerlan. investigators will look into how the tsarnaev brothers obtained their guns. also, new this morning, days before the madrid marathon police arrest two suspected al qaeda terrorists in spain, and this as a suspected terror attack on a train between the u.s. and canada is stopped cold. we will have a live report next. then, more changes at the airport. why the tsa is delaying one of its new controversial policies. we'll tell you what's going on with that. you're watching "starting point." [ male announcer ] the first look is only the beginning. ♪ ♪ this is a stunning work of technology. ♪ this is the 2013 lexus es

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welcome back to "starting point." police in spain arresting two suspected al qaeda terrorists. one is algerian, the other more beingen. spain's interior ministry says their profiles are similar to the boston bombing suspects.

officials say there's no indication of an imminent attack but the arrest come days before sunday's madrid marathon, which is expected to draw some 26,000 runners. now to new developments in canada. an alleged plot to attack a canadian passenger train traveling here to the united states, canadian police have two men in custody. they allege the suspects had support from al qaeda in iran. cnn's ted rowlands is live in toronto for us this morning. >> good morning, ted, what's the latest. >> good morning, john, according to authorities the alleged plot was to attack a passenger train going from toronto to new york, and authorities here in canada say the suspect not only had the will, but had the capability to pull it off. in shackles and under heavy guard, 30-year-old chiheb esseghaier was thrown from montreal to toronto monday night, facing terrorism charges along with 35-year-old raed jaser. canadian authorities say the two

were plotting an al qaeda supported attack on a passenger train traveling between canada and the united states. >> my understanding is that this was always under control of the rcmp and that at no time was anyone's life actually in danger. >> authorities say the suspects are not canadian citizens but they've declined to identify their nationality or how long they've been in canada and few details of the alleged plot have been released though canadian authorities have said it was in the planning stages and not imminent. passenger trains have been terrorist targets before. in 2004, more than 190 people were killed in madrid. dozens of people died a year later in the london bombing. and documents seized in the raid that killed osama bin laden showed that bin laden wanted to attract trains in the u.s. canadian investigators say in this case, the suspects received support from al qaeda elements in iran. >> the individuals were receiving support from al qaeda elements located in iran. now i can tell you, that there

is no information to indicate that these attacks were state sponsored. >> reporter: the iranian government vehemently denies the assertion that al qaeda is operating inside its borders. and we expect both of the suspects to appear at the courthouse behind me here in downtown toronto in about three hours at 10:00 eastern time. john? >> all right, ted rowlands for us in toronto this morning, still a lot to learn about that investigation. but one thing we've been told so far, at least no connection to what's going on up there as to what's going on here. ahead on "starting point," the tsa backtracking on a controversial policy, a change of heart. we'll tell you about it next. you're watching "starting point."

welcome back to "starting point." i'm christine romans. overnight an apparent attack on the french embassy in libya's capital. a powerful car bomb blew out the front wall and shattered windows on other buildings in the tripoli neighborhood. two security guards and a 13-year-old girl living nearby were hurt. the french ambassador saying he will not leave that city. the tsa's plan to let passengers bring small knives on airplanes, that plan now on hold. the new policy was supposed to go into effect this thursday. but the agency now wants more input. critics, including flight attendants, say letting knives back in the cabin is a dangerous idea. supporters say it will speed up security lines and let agents focus on bigger threats. and new york city could become the first big city to raise the smoking age from 18 to

21. the city council rolled out that idea monday. supporters say raising the age limit could cut smoking among 18 to 20-year-olds by more than half. ahead on "starting point" we're learning more about the dead boston bombing suspect, including his religion, and his ties to radical islam that now the fbi wants to interview his wife. what did she know? we're back live in boston after the break. and then growing frustration at airports across the country, as furloughs are beginning to create flight delays. some of the hardest-hit airports, we'll tell you where they are. you're watching "starting point."

i do a lot of research on angie's list before i do any projects on my own. at angie's list, you'll find reviews written by people just like you. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. welcome back to "starting point" everyone. he is talking. not necessarily with spoken words but boston marathon terror suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is communicating with investigators from his hospital bed. a government source tells cnn's

jake tapper that tsarnaev has informed law enforcement that his older brother tamerlan was the driving force behind last week's terror attacks. also saying that no foreign terrorist groups were involved. also that the motivation for the bombing for the boston marathon was to defend islam. now all of these claims must be verified by investigators. they're not taking him at his word. tsarnaev is formally charged with using a weapon of mass destruction. also illicit destruction of property and he could be sentenced to death if found guilty. residents of people who work on boylston street will be allowed back today. we just saw some business owners going across the barrier. it could be a few more days, though, before the general public is allowed back in. another new development this morning. the fbi wants to interview tamerlan tsarnaev's widow. so far that has not happened but agents have spoken to katherine russell's attorney. he says she knew nothing about her husband's alleged role in the boston bombings.

katherine russell lives with her parents in rhode island, where cnn's chris lawrence is this morning. good morning, chris. what's the latest? >> yeah, john, basically investigators want from katherine russell, they want to know, "a," what she now about what her husband was doing. and, if he had any other affiliations besides his younger brother. let's take you to some new video that we shot just in the last hour. can you see katherine russell's attorney arriving here at the family's home. she comes out of the home, and they leave together, followed by federal authorities. we know investigators have been to this home several times over the past couple days but so far she is only speaking to them through her attorney. he does tell us that she does not know anything about her husband's activities. that she was working upwards of 70 hours a week sometimes, while tamerlan stayed home and took care of their 2 1/2-year-old daughter. he says katherine russell is devastated by what happened. he said she feels horrible for

the victims of the boston marathon bombing, and she's also dealing with the loss of her husband, and the father of her child. john? >> chris, what are you learning about her personally and the life that she was leading with tamerlan? >> she grew up here in a suburb of providence, rhode island. there all accounts a very good student. she went off to college in boston, and that's where she met tamerlan. she was raised christian but she converted to islam after she married tamerlan in 2010. they had a daughter. and from all accounts, she is a devout muslim. she wears the hijab, the traditional head scarf. and again, investigators now want to know from them living together in that cramped little apartment what she may have seen or heard about what happened. >> all right, chris lawrence standing by for us in north kingston, rhode island. a key part of the future of this investigation. thanks so much, chris. dzhokhar tsarnaev was

charged really in an extraordinary way. at his bedside in the hospital. based on the court transcript, he was able to speak one word and one word only. that was, "no." chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is at beth israel deaconess hospital. we know he was intubated. would that affect the case in any way as he talks to investigators? and what exactly do we know about this throat injury? >> you know, when you think about these types of injuries, they call it a penetrating injury to the neck. that's what we've heard. you worry about a couple of things. one is that a major blood vessel or it could be a disrupted or the spinal cord could be affected. and court of putting it all together, john, and looking what has happened over the last couple of days. it's unlikely the injury was affecting a blood vessel or his spinal cord. we saw him standing, for example, at the time of his capture. we've heard rumors that he might be writing. and also, the the fact that he's

awake and alert suggest it wasn't as suggest of an injury. but what typically happens in these cases is just want to show you, this is the type of tube that might go down someone's mouth and into their trachea, their windpipe. most likely he doesn't have one of those. but rather has something that looks like this which is just a tube that goes straight into the neck, into the windpope and that's what allows him to breathe. the reason that's significant is because with the second type of tube you often don't need as much sedation. so someone may get some pain medication because of the operation, but could otherwise be rather awake as he's been described. >> so that could explain two things. why he doesn't need so much sedation, why he is able to communicate. could also explain, sanjay, why he was able to vocalize that one word, "no" that we now believe he said based on the court transcript. >> yeah. very important john because first of all, it shows that the

vocal chords themselves are still working. despite the fact that you have a tube in your throat you can generate enough air or something like that to push air past the vocal chords and make that sound. it's not easy. ultimately, with a tube like this, people can actually cover the tube, and that allows them to talk out more freely. and that's typically what happens in someone who has a track yostmy tube that looks like this. but you make a good point. the fact that he could speak at all. and i read the same transcript that you did, i think indicates that he should be able to speak more clearly later on. >> dr. sanjay gupta, thanks for being with us. really appreciate it. want to talk now about the legal road ahead. there's a lot to talk about on that subject. we have criminal defense attorney bernard klein with us. his clients include ramzi yousef who was convicted in the 1993 world trade center bombing. thanks so much for being with

us. our jake tapper reporting this morning that apparently there is a fair amount of information being conveyed by gentleman tar tsarnaev to investigators. he's talking about the attack. he's talking about his brother's role in the attack. he's saying they were radicalized by watching online videos. without going into the detail of exactly what he's saying let's talk about how much he's saying, as a defense attorney, does it concern you that he's conveying so much information right now? >> well, i think one thing, john, to remember, now that he has counsel assigned to him, i would tend to doubt that he's still speaking to the authorities. certainly without counsel being present, he wouldn't be speaking to them at all. so i think at this point in time the interrogation may well have stopped and he's meeting more importantly with his defense attorneys to determine exactly what type of defense, what type of issues can be raised in order to mitigate any penalties that might be imposed upon him, and to determine what, if any, defense might be applied if he

ends up going to trial or if he makes a decision whether to plead guilty. but these are things that will be way down the road. i know that there is aunder the federal rules there is required to be a probable cause hearing within 14 days. that hearing will not take place. either the parties, the government or the defense, can agree to waive that hearing or the judge himself can agree to wave that hearing. and the likelihood is that hearing will be waived and they will at least hand down a preliminary indictment within the next two weeks. >> we do not know whether all this information has been reportedly conveyed by our jake tapper from dzhokhar tsarnaev to investigators, we do not know if that was before or after he received his miranda warnings or before or after he obtained counsel. that's an excellent point. one of the things we do know that he is saying apparently is that it was his brother tamerlan who was the mastermind here.

is that something that could be helpful to his defense if he was merely following his brother? >> well, it will be helpful to his defense in the sense of mitigating the penalty that he might end up suffering. from what i've read and what i've seen, he's clearly as culpable as his brother. the videos that they picked up, and the statements that he made to the driver of the suv, all would indicate that he was a willing participant in this crime, and also the fact that he fled from the scene would further indicate his willingness to participate in this crime. however, any influence that he might have suffered from his brother, his brother's influence on him, may again go to mitigate any penalty that might be imposed upon him. whether he ends up getting the death penalty or whether he ends up getting life in prison. i cannot imagine under any circumstance, quite honestly, having viewed many of these cases over the last 15, 20 years, that he will get anything

less than life in prison even if he ends up pleading guilty. >> you, of course, have this unique perspective into a defense like this. what is it like defending such a high profile client? in some cases such a notorious client? and how of leverage do you have with investigators? is there a way to plea this down to life in prison, rather than the death penalty? >> well, one of the first things when you have a client along these lines is you need to get the trust of that client. a lot of these individuals feel that their defense counsel is as much a part of the system as the prosecution and the judge and the jury. and there is a long road to hoe before you can get the trust of your client before he or she will speak to you openly and honestly. you look at the trials of a lot of the prior terrorism individuals, even ramzi yousef and others, it was a long and difficult road for defense counsel to be able to get those

individuals to trust them. once that goes forward, as far as mitigating the sentence, if he ends up getting life in prison, is that if he was under any influence from his brother, if he pleads guilty, things along those lines. i think it's also, i'd like to just make the point that if he gets life in prison in the federal system life in prison means he will spend the rest of his life in prison. there's no parole. he won't be released early under any circumstances. no provision for any type of release. and the likelihood also is that he will end up being sent, if he pleads guilty and getting to sense in life in prison to adx florence which is the u.s. bureau of prisons supermax facility in florence, colorado. that is a solitary confinement facility and he'll end up spending the rest of his life technically in solitary confinement. to me, at least, a much greater punishment than actually ending up being executed. >> bernard kleinman, defense attorney, thank you so much this

morning for your truly unique insight into this case. really appreciate it. >> thank you, john. >> christine romans is back in new york right now with we have some of the other headlines we're following. a lot of news going on. what's the latest? >> new this morning, new evidence surfacing that the syrian government has used chemical weapons, likely sarin gas, on rebels. israel's top military intelligence official saying they have photos showing victims foaming at the mouth. that is something that indicates chemical weapons use. an american official told our barbara starr the u.s. has suspicions of chemical weapons use. just yesterday defense secretary chuck hagel said if syria uses chemical weapons it would cross a red line and the pentagon had a plan in place to deal with it. the secretary of state in brussels this morning. meeting with russia's foreign minister and other nato diplomats. john kerry is also meeting separately with the foreign minister of russia. we could find out later if the two talked about the accused boston bombers, and their roots in russia's republic of

chechnya. back in the u.s., president and first lady plan to attend their second big memorial service in two weeks. on thursday the obamas head to baylor university in waco, texas. services will be there for victims of that massive fertilizer plant explosion in the nearby town of west, texas. 14 people were killed. the first couple attended services last week for boston bombing victims. the flight delays you were so worried about that we warned you about, they're happening. up to 90 minutes. and even longer if the weather is bad. thousands of air traffic controllers are getting furloughed because of forced budget cuts in washington. passengers are feeling it. >> well we had to wait 30 minutes because there was a backlog for departure. but they didn't really say anything else. they just said because of that it's now delays. how many planes can take off at what time. so, maybe i guess it's going to have the impact. >> "the new york times" says us airways, jetblue and delta canceled some flights because of those forced spending cuts.

"minding your business" this morning stock futures have turned positive thanks to optimism about the tech sector. dow futures are up about 20 points, nasdaq s&p are higher as well. keep in mind they open for real at 9:30. also keep an eye on netflix today that stock posting huge premarket gains after an upbeat earnings report. also apple results come out after the closing bell one of the most sophisticated reports of this earnings season in part because the stock is down 30% over the past year. other events we're following this morning floodwaters rising in the midwest swallowing entire communities whole. next we're going to take you tloiv a town trying to save its homes. and then a 6-year-old boy, attacked by an alligator, and survives! >> the alligator -- and grabbed my arm and i couldn't get out. >> he and his father join us with the terrifying encounter. a? [ female announcer ] now there's new neutrogena® naturals acne cleanser. acne medicine from the wintergreen leaf treats breakouts. no parabens or harsh sulfates.

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the rain in today's forecast will only add to the record flooding happening all across the midwest. a state of emergency has been declared in missouri and in illinois governor pat quinn has declared disaster areas in more than 40 counties. cnn's jim spellman is in

illinois where the river has been overflowing since sunday and residents they are they're preparing for even more water. >> the last thing they want to hear about here is another inch of rain coming. i'm not sure it will really make a huge difference. but take a look. two blocks in from the water and it's inundated here a foot up at the edge. three or four feet there at the worst. we haven't seen widespread reports of this kind of damage, but here in spring bay, it's having a huge impact. take a look. last minute prep in spring bay, illinois, as floodwaters inundate this riverside community. where is your home? >> my home is that gray and white mobile home with the black shutters on it. >> you can't get to your home by foot now? >> no. >> have you ever seen this much water come up here? >> no. >> scary? >> yep. >> the home, along with about 40 others in this trailer community, began to flood sunday and the water has continued to rise. >> yesterday i cried all day. >> reporter: and today?

>> today i'm not crying yet, but the more i see that water come up, the more i'll cry. >> reporter: the red cross is on site assessing the area as the fire chief prepares for the worse. >> this is the evacuation order? >> this is the evacuation notice. >> reporter: mandatory evacuations for residents in low-lying areas. his biggest fear, people ignoring the order and getting trapped in hard-to-reach parts of the community. >> some of these places i simply can't get to and that's going to be a real big disadvantage to us. >> reporter: jared teagarden just moved to spring bay a few months ago. >> welcome to the neighborhood. >> reporter: as the river began to flood he built his homemade levee from four dump trucks full of sand. so far, it's working. >> there would be four feet of water here if not. so we're doing all right. beater than most. >> reporter: his neighbor brad loman among those not doing as well. >> it's kind of emotional. to kind of see this situation and, you know, it's bad deal. >> reporter: he's worked at this

bar since he was a teenager, eventually buying it. he says repairs will total more than $50,000. will he reopen? >> no, i don't think so. i think we're going to be a total loss. i really do. >> this water takes a lot longer to get out of here than it took to get in. authorities here telling us it could be a week and a half before this town is dry and they can really finish their cleanup. christine? >> all right, jim spellman, thanks so much, jim. ahead on "starting point," snatching victory from the jaws of defeat lit r5ly. a quick-thinking dad saved his 6-year-old son from the grip of an eight foot alligator. father and son are going to tell us about that tale. you're watching "starting point." we went out and asked people a simple question:

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a truly amazing story of survival. the father of joey welch calls it a triple miracle. he attacked by an alligator on friday. he fell into the water and into the jaws of a hungry gator in a wild life area in florida. >> the alligator, he grabbed my arm, and i couldn't get out. >> his dad managed to free joey with the help of a good samaritan who kicked the alligator in the stomach. there are three miracles. hissurvived, there are no broken bones and he didn't lose his arm. three pretty amazing miracles, you can sit here and tell the story. tell me what happened? how did he he get tangled up with an eight-foot gator? >> this is what happened. there was a concession stand for

canoe rental place at the shoreline of this location that we were at. and i had just got done putting sun block on him, and i turned around to go pay for the canoe, and within the blink of an eye, typical high-energy kid, ran down this hill, and he fell right into the water, and when he did, he -- the gator must have been right there, ready, because as soon as he fell in, i heard the splash and i instantly heard him start screaming, so i bolted down the hill, and i -- you know, couldn't even believe my eyes, and i -- i was in waist deep water and i had -- i had -- i didn't -- didn't want to get into a tug of war with a gator. i didn't want joey to lose his arm. i my left arm wrapped around my chest area and with the right hand, pounding on the snout of the gator as hard as i could.

but it was like hitting a brick. the gator didn't even flinch, and then there was another client, about to rent a canoe as well, and when he heard what was happening, he ran over, and he was just screaming at me to try -- telling me to pull my son out of the water. and i really wanted to get the gator's teeth to let go of his arm first, because i was concerned if i pulled joey away while the gator still attached, with the weight of the gator, that could pull his arm out of his socket. >> the other guy, came down with you and actually kicked or hit the alligator in the stomach and the jaws popped loose. >> exactly. that's when the jaws popped loose and the gator released. >> joey, did he he hurt you? did it hurt? you got some scratches. can you show me a little bit about what happened? >> well, yeah. i -- i was screaming, i was in the pond, but i cried when i got

out. >> cried when you got out. did you have scratches on your stomach? >> yeah. >> now, joey, will you go back to school today? >> maybe. i don't know. >> maybe. >> i will be late. >> i'm going to tell you, are you going to have quite a story to tell your friends and teacher. what will you tell them? >> yeah, my friend ivy in my class watched the show when i was on channel 7 and channel 10. >> did they warn you there could be alligators literally right next to you? >> no. no warning whatsoever for that. >> no signs. >> no signs, no fence. on the website, they did say this is the everglades, are there are many gators. >> i told dad, i shouldn't have gone in. >> it says when are you in the canoe, if you want to observe the gators, don't bang your

paddle against the canoe, because that will scare them away. >> when you fell in the water, do you think you might have fallen right on top of this gator? >> no. i just fell feet first and then the alligator just like swam to me and i was like just kicked it away. >> we are so glad -- we are so glad your dad was right there and we're so glad that other guy came down and kicked the gator in the stomach. you think you will go on that trip again, joey? >> maybe not. >> we're glad we can smile about it. must have been a terrifying moment. glad he has a great story to tell when he goes back to kindergarten. >> he is a little famous. channel 7, channel 10, and cnn, he's a little late to school. >> ahead on "starting point," his words are few.

but we're hearing from the suspect, dzhokhar tsavraev in the hospital. what investigators are learning? we'll hear from jake tapper about what he has been telling law enforcement. we continue, right after the break.

good morning, everyone. i'm john berman live in boston. the surviving suspect in the marathon bombing, key details in the attack. what dzhokhar tsavraev is telling investigators in a live report. we're learning more about tamerlan tsavraev. how he became radicalized and his influence with his younger brother. and exclusive interview with a woman who stood five feet from the blast and survived. >> a lot of debris falling, and

i told adam, oh, my gosh, i'm alive. terror plot foiled. two men who wanted to carry out an attack on a passenger train between canada and the u.s. a special edition of "starting point" begins right now. welcome back to boston, everyone. just a block away, standing right now from the finish line of the boston marathon. where the attacks happened. more than one week ago. the suspect, 19-year-old so dzhokhar tsavraev is community with investigators. he is claiming and he his big brother, tamerlan, executed last week's attack at the marathon finish line and did it in defense of islam. jake tapper joins us and what are law enforcement officials

telling you? >> a government official says in the preliminary interviews with sfwl dzhokhar tsavraev, he is providing details, not so much talking, but by nodding and writing things down. he says there were no foreign terrorist groups involved with the attacks. they were radicalized on line. by watching videos online and getting instructions and information online. and in addition according to dzhokhar, the older brother, tamerlan, the driving force behind the attacks this is what dzhokhar is saying to investigators. investigators know they have to check everything out. not taking his word as gospel. they want to make sure that what he's saying is true, but this is what he is saying, according to government officials that we have spoken with, the brothers have seen to have been self-starter, self-radicalized individuals. seem to have been radicalized in the united states, and the

motivating thought seems to be jihadist thought, the idea there is political and religious motivation, that islam is under attack, and they fight back. that seems to be what investigators have. to underline once more this is preliminary what dzhokhar is telling them, no one takes dzhokhar's word for it. >> and he says they were radicalized online by watching videos, not communicate with any foreign terrorist element? >> that's what dzhokhar is saying. we've seen this before, this is one of the reason why the cleric, anwar al awlaki put up videos online. he's been killed by a drone strike. that's why he did it, to radicalize individuals in different parts of the world. and apparently some videos like that, we don't know if it's al

al wa awlaki or not, influenced tamerlan. >> any indication if this happened before or after he was given miranda warnings? >> i don't know as of now. just based on what the miranda warning is, you have the right to remain silent to have an attorney, probably before. we know that dzhokhar conveyed this through nods and by writing. the big point no, foreign terrorist group involvement according to dzhokhar. no -- the older brother tamer n tamerlan, the one driving the -- their action. and that they were self-radicalized by watching videos online and that they were jihadists, they thought they were defending islam from what? we'll find out more what they thought they were defending, in the days and weeks to come. >> key here, investigators following up on leads. not taking their word for it.

>> what dzhokhar is conveying. not to say anyone believes it. investigators know everything has to be followed up on as opposed to other previous terrorist attacks and other random attacks such as the aurora shooter or tucson shooter. these individuals were not loners, these were people who had friends. tamerlan had a wife. dzhokhar had friends in high school. a lot of leads need to be followed up on and a lot of people need to be talked to. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. new details about how the tsavraev brothers pulled off the terror plot. details, step by step, really how the bombing unfolded. we want to go to miguel marquez outside of beth israel deaconess medical center. >> he is here, sedated, also restained at the moment. the criminal complaint has one

of many charges to come. in the criminal complaint, investigators built a minute by minute account of the tsavraev brothers as they moved the crowd. one point, dzhokhar had his phone to his ear, maybe a reduce. seconds later, the first bomb. only then does he begin to walk away from the bag he left amid the crowd. ten seconds later, the second bomb is detonated. we are also learning will his older brother. he was arrested for domestic assault after his girlfriend says he beat her up. he opened argued with the leader of a mosque. saying that holiday celebrations not allowed by islam and he disrupted a sermon by martin

luther king, calling the civil rights leader a nonbeliever. revelation and charges as the city is trying to recover. a moment of silence to mark one week since the attacks from the oval office and around the country, a solemn tribute. we are here in boston. almost every spot in this city in silence and stillness. another step toward normal. boilston street, turned over by federal investigators to the city of boston. in a sign of investigation's intensity, a tree possibly touched by dzhokhar, removed, taken as evidence, and photos of him withdrawing money, after the carjacking of m.i.t. police officer sean collier this as the victims continue to heal. 50 in the hospital. 2 still critical.

for some seriously injured, hope. >> nearly all of the patients that have lost legs are already walking the halls with physical therapists. >> reporter: still, grim reminders here, just about everywhere. in medford, the funeral for 29-year-old krystle campbell. the church overflowing, the grief unbearable. now, another sign that boston is starting to get back to normal now that boylston street has been turned over to the city. the city wants to open it up in limited fashion to businesses, and hopefully to the general public very soon. john. >> thank you, miguel. we have seen the first groups of people going behind us to boylston street, right there, to go back to their homes and residences, one other interesting thing we caught a glimpse of, a glass repair truck. maybe someone going back,

repairing some of the broke know wi windows up and down boyleston street. signs that may show when dzhokhar's older brother, tamerlan, was radicalized and once dzhokhar began to follow his lead. >> reporter: new information on tamperland tsavraev's perspective on islam. january 18th, friday prayers at the islamic society's mosque in cambridge. according to mosque officials, too much for tamerlan tsavraev. >> some people said that he said something to the effect that you cannot, you know, compare or make a parallel between our prophet and a nonmuslim. some people said he referred to the person that was giving the sermon as a hypocrite. >> reporter: it was a clear

violation of mosque etiquette. he was told to back off. it was the second time he had objected to something said at a sermon. we pressed them. were there any red flags that tamerlan tsavraev had been radicalized? >> unfortunately, no indications and if trained specialists from the fbi were not able to see anything, i'm sure you can understand how people who were merely acquainted with these individuals, seeing them sporadically at prayers, would not see, you know, anything of this nature as well. >> reporter: mosque officials say dzhokhar tsavraev never came without his older brother. tamerlan tsavraev was the leader between the two brothers, one saying dzhokhar was "definitely the follower in this situation." john pinto co-owns a brazilian restaurant in the tsavraev's neighborhood. in recent months, he saw the

brothers come in, sometimes sitting down, sometimes getting chicken and lamb for takeout. tamerlan tsavraev always walked in front of his younger brother, swaggering, looking serious and tough. >> i believe the big brother is the one in command. like the one who says, okay, let's go, we do this, we do this, whatever. it wasn't always in front and the other one was behind him. >> reporter: it may not have always been there. rose, who lifeguarded with dzhokhar in the spring and summer of 2011. she says this about the younger brother. >> there was an effort to sort of create some distance between himself and his older brother, because they didn't see the world quite in the same way. >> reporter: neighbors gave us new information on the broader family dynamic this is the top floor apartment where the tsavraev family lived. the entire family, patienrent, brothers and sisters lived here

together at one point. one neighbor noted tension in the family when they lived together this is where he was arrested in july 2009 for assaulting his girlfriend. the complaint doesn't show her name but quotes tamerlan as saying, yes, i slapped her. neighbors told us they thought the tension in the family dissipated after the parents and sisters moved out a couple of years ago. brian todd, cnn, boston. >> our thanks to brian todd for that as the investigation moves forward, more details emerge about the stsavraev brothers. there will be congressional meetings as to what the fbi did and did not know. as well as how the brothers got their guns and explosives. let's bring in the ranking democratic on the house intelligence committee from baltimore this morning. thank you for joining us. >> good to be here. sure. >> as we said, closed door meetings you are having in washington with members of the

intelligence community and fbi. i am sure of interest will be the 2011 meetings with tamerlan tsavraev. what do you hope to learn from intelligence officials? >> the most important thing is we provide oversight to all of the intelligence agencies, including the fbi, so what we want to do is to see when the fbi investigated that the tip that came from russia, about bomber number one, the older brother, was really cleared of what russia was concerned about. and we will have a classified hearing today at 5:00. >> now, i understand there are things you can and can't tell us. some information is classified. other things not so much. our jake tapper, reporting news overnight that dzhokhar tsavraev is speaking with investigators and telling us that they were radicalized here, watching on line videos, they have no contact with terrorist groups

overseas. is th does that concur with what are you hearing? >> in the believings that i have personally received doesn't show third parties. there is a lot more to investigate. first thing, when he went to russia, when he came back a lot of things had changed. and his younger brother's attitude started to change. the older brother was more of a loaner. younger brother more social, very well respected by his friends. so we have to find out and we're doing that now. looking at it from an international point of view and from an internal point of view, as more evidence comes out about how -- when he came back from russia, did he become more orthodox in his muslim religion? did that make him change? one of the things we're looking at also, when you have these -- these bombs, what kind of sf sophistication, how were they trained to make the bombs? al qaeda puts out a magazine called "inspire" which literally gives information on how to make the type of bombs used here.

one of the things i'm concerned about, and others too, they used cell phones to set the bombs off. that takes more sophistication. we need to continue and investigate that issue also. >> you bring up excellent point. one of the things we've heard over the last week, these explosive devices, pressure cooker bombs, crude devices. still, they work, there were three of them. are you satisfied that this is the type of thing that people could do on their own, without any kind of training? >> those of us who have been in the intelligence committee a while have always been concerned about the lone wolf that doesn't mean just one individual, it means a small group of people that will come in under the radar, why there is concern about that, when are you under the radar, we can't get the intelligence we would normally get. after 9/11, we are the most sophisticated country in the world as it relates to receiving any intelligence from people, or from a technical point of view. now -- and if, in fact there, is

chatter or a big type of plot, we will probably pick it up. what worries are us are the types of situations like the bomber -- the times square bomber, the underwear bomber, shoe bomber, these were all under the radar, anwar al awlaki, an american in yemen, he was coordinating these types of attacks, knowing that our intelligence was sophisticated, so he would have to get people either over here or three or four people. when you coordinate that type of attack, you have to make sure to get whatever they need to make the bombs and how to set the bombs off and the situations i talked about, those bombs didn't go off and we were lucky. we weren't lucky this time, unfortunately. >> all right. maryland congressman dutch ruppersberger, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> we are getting new photos of the tsavraev brothers behind

barricades, at the boston marathon, right when the bombs went off. in some, you can see the smiling faces of people in the crowd. the blast killed three people and wounded more than 170 others. now thew this morning, a ga station attendant is speaking to cnn. he called police after the victim entered his store. he says it really was a bit frightening. >> in after, after maybe 30 seconds, i called the police. they came here, he goes, went inside the back area and he closed the door, and i -- this morning i called the police. but i remember the gun, they want to shoot me. he was very, very -- he was screaming and he was nervous. he can take his brait breath, so

it is difficult for me to tell you. a dance instructor who lost a foot and part of her leg in the boston marathon bombing is vowed to dance again and also to run in the boston marathon. adrienne haslea has lelet-davis anderson cooper. >> i didn't feel any pain. i had no idea what had happened and then i sat up and i tried -- he said we have to get out of here. i sat up and tried to move, and i said, oh my goosh. there is something wrong with my foot. he left up my leg and i just lot lost it i'm only 32. i don't want this to be the end. whether it's running the marathon, walking the marathon, crawling the marathon, being the last one across, i'm okay with

that. i didn't say i would win it. but i -- i am defiant and i want to -- i want to come out stronger. >> so nice to see her smile. haslet-davis, a dancer, has never run a marathon before. but at one point in her life, she wasn't a balance room dancer either she says. the tsavraev brothers spent self-years in the republic of dagestan, where their parents live today. and we have just spoken with the alleged bomber's mother. nick joins us from the capital. what is she saying? >> reporter: a number of things. very distressed. i spoke to her when she was under the belief that her eldest son tamerlan was still alive. she saw social media video of his body and accepts that he is

deceased. doesn't believe the u.s. charges against him, says he believes she has been a target simply because he is a muslim and doesn't believe a fair trail is possible. in fact, saying to me that he believes his voice was taken from him. he is unable to speak, because they want to inhibit his defense. conspiratorial in many ways, suggesting there is some sort of third party behind concocting a case against her son, deeply distressed throughout our conversation. angry at any suggestion of any ties to extremism and also clear, she believes today or tomorrow her son's body will be buried by his sisters in cambridge, massachusetts, near a mosque, john. >> interesting to hear her anger and denial and disbelief about the whole thing. nick paton wat oon walsh, thank being with us. the surviving suspect is charged with terrorism and using

a weapon of mass destruction. we will ask questions of senior legal analyst jeffrey toob you know tubin. two are arrested after a terror plot is discovered. ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your family's future? we'll help you get there. when ouwe got a subaru.s born, it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever.

the back seat of my subaru is where she grew up. what? (announcer) designed for your most precious cargo. (girl) what? (announcer) the all-new subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. police in spain arresting two suspected al qaeda terrorists. profiles are similar to the boston marathon bombing suspects. no indication of an imminent attack, but the arrests came days before the madrid marathon event, expected to draw 26,000 runners. a developing story from canada we're following. authorities foil an alleged plot to attack a canadian passenger train traveling to the united

states. canadian police, two men in custody. the suspects had support from al qaeda in iran. ted rowlands live. what's the latest? >> reporter: good morning, christine. we understand according to thorlts, the plot was allegedly to attack a train from toronto to new york. the two suspects, not only had the will, but the capability to pull it only in shackles and heavy gauche, chiheb esseghaier was flown to new york on monday night, facing terrorist charges, along with raed jaser. they were planning a terror plot on a passenger train between canada and the united states. >> my understanding this was always under control and no time was anyone's life actually in danger. >> reporter: authorities say the suspects are not canadian

citizens, but declined to identify their national ality or how long they have been in canada and few details of the plot have been released. though canadian authorities say it was in the planning stages and not imminent. passenger trains terrorist targets before. in 2004, more than 190 people killed in madrid. dozens of people died a year later in the london bombings and documents seized in the raid that killed osama bin laden s w showed that bin laden wanted to attack trains in the u.s. canadian investigators in this case, the suspects received support from al qaeda elements in iran. >> the individuals were receiving support from al qaeda elements located in iran. now, i can tell you that there is no information to indicate that these attacks were state sponsored. >> reporter: the iranian government vehemently denied that al qaeda is operating inside its borders. and, christine, both suspects

are expected to appear in court in downtown toronto in the next couple of hours at 10:00 eastern time for a bail hearing. thank you. >> thanks, ted. ahead on "starting point," a lot of people complain about their jobs, but only few can say they have the worst job in america. is your job one of the worst? find out, next. [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me. it appears it's an agent of good. ge has wired their medical hardware with innovative software to be in many places at the same time. using data to connect patients to software, to nurses to the right people and machines. ♪ helping hospitals treat people even better, while dramatically reducing waiting time.

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minding your business this morning. looks like a positive open for stocks. futures indicating a higher open when the bell rings in one hour. dow futures up 50 points ahead of earning points of apple and at&t. all right. do love your job, hate your job?

the ab you'u annual list of bes worst jobs is out. and newspaper reporter is the worst of the worst. a poor industry outlook hurting the ranking. lumberjack second worst, followed by enlisted military personnel. actor and oil rig worker. the best job in america is an actuary. about $87,000 a year. biomedical and software engineers are next. audiologist and financial planner round out the top five. they look at everything from physical exertion on the job to happiness to pay to satisfaction overall. john. >> all right. thanks so much, christine romans. ahead on "starting point," the surviving boston bombing suspect appears to be cooperating with authorities. how does that affect the prosecution's case? we'll look at the legal road ahead with cnn's senior analyst jeffrey toobin. plus, neil diamond's "sweet

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ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. welcome back to "starting point," live from boston this morning. a block away from the marathon finish line. new developments in the boston marathon bombing investigation. suspect dzhokhar tsavraev is communicating with investigators from his hospital bed. the government source tells cnn's jake tapper that tsavraev claims his older brother tamerlan was the driving force behind last week's terror plot. he insists they acted alone and no foreign terrorist groups were

involved. as for what motivated the bombings, they did it in defense of islam. want to bring in jeffrey toobin, cnn senior legal analyst right now. jeffrey in new york. based on jake's reporting, a lot of information conveyed from dzhokhar to investigators. how will it affect the prosecution? >> it's not shaping up as a whodunit. it looks like it will be an overwhelming case, and the pa paradox of what he said yesterday, what he said to investigators, is that it probably lessens his leverage to work out any sort of plea deal, because he doesn't have anyone to give up. if it was just him and his brother, there is no broader conspiracy. he can't promise if you give me a deal that lets me avoid the death penalty, i had uncover this conspiracy for you. apparently there is nothing more there, if this is true, and his leverage then goes down. >> one of the things we do not

know is how much of this information was conveyed before or after he was told his miranda rights. how does it affect the situation? >> it probably doesn't have that much of an effect. given the magnitude of evidence, the government probably wouldn't introduce those statements in court. there is a close legal question if they could be admissible in court. but there appears so much evidence against him, the government could prove the case through other means, and the miranda issue would simply go away as a possible impediment to his conviction. >> jeffrey, how much does it matter that he seems to be saying that his brother was the mastermind behind these plots? is he trying to deflect the focus on him, deflect the blame? could that help him in a prosecution? >> it might help him in the penalty phase. it doesn't excuse his participation. apparently it was voluntary, he

was a knowing participant, he wasn't brainwashed. this wasn't some sort of insanity type situation. but when it comes to a jury imposing the death penalty, you never know exactly what will influence them and the fact that he is so young by legal standards, just 19, the brother -- the brother perhaps was the dominant figure in all of this, it might persuade a jury to -- to spare his life, but it certainly is not a legal defense to the charge. >> what about the fact that sock dzhokhar tsavraev went back to college at dartmouth, about 60 miles from here. working out, may have gone to a party. how will that factor into things? he wasn't cowering in remorse at the time? >> it certainly is nothing good for him. because if his defense is i was

overwhelmed by my brother, i had no free will, i was simply dog his bidding, he certainly doesn't look like someone who is consumed by remorse or dominated by his brother. he seems to be going about his business. the -- again, so much is just bizarre. that kind of behavior, how they thought they would get away with this is -- remains mysterious, but it certainly doesn't help him in the eyes of a jury to be seeing leading a normal day-to-day life after committing such a horrible act. >> jeffrey, what's next here? we didn't see any state charges. no murder charges for the killing of the officer, of officer sean collier. will this come up now? >> that's the product of usual negotiation. the federal case goes first, what happens now, the -- there

has been an arraignment on the complaint, the case will go to a grand jury, in the next 30 days, there will be an initial indictment. at that point, the case will be assigned to a federal district judge, the grand jury investigation will continue, but, you know, things will probably slow down at that point as the investigation proceeds. i think realistically it probably will be a year until this case goes to trial. if it actually goes to trial. >> if it goes to trial. new developments to tell you about this morning about the tactics of the s.w.a.t. team used to arrest dzhokhar tsavraev as the highly trained team slowly approached the boat. they didn't know if tsavraev would try to kill himself or kill them possibly with a suicide bomb. they described to anderson cooper how they finally subdued

him. >> we got close enough that at the one point where both of his hands were up because of the rocking back and forth, both of his hands were up, we could see no weapons in them. no ignition devices, broke away from the shield protective cover and just rushed him. we put hands on him, grabbed him and pulled him off the boat. down onto the ground. >> the reason the s.w.a.t. team immediately pulled off his shirt was to check if he was wearing some kind of explosives, possibly even a suicide vest. with less than $100 and access to the internet, you can actually build a pressure cooker bomb. learning how to build it is not the purpose of our next story. the idea is to learn more about what they do and possibly how to prevent them from being so much harm. our david mattingly explains. >> reporter: at this remote

desert testing ground, experts from new mexico tech replicate and explode bombs used by terrorists. on this day, there is a sense of urgency. >> after boston, what are you worried about? could this be the future of domestic terrorists? >> you worry about copycats. will more and more people be using this. >> reporter: this is a pressure coomer bomb. similar to the bombs in boston and we're about to set it off. >> we'll do a countdown? >>. >> reporter: in the wrong hands, we know how deadly this bomb can be, and we're not taking any chances. sore safety reasons, we retreated to this mountain top here. now over a quarter of a mile away from where we left that pressure cooker. but that's still not far enough to avoid flying shrapnel, so we're watching from inside a bunker. >> five, four, three, two, one. wow. that white smoke looks just like what we saw in boston. >> i could feel it, all the way

up here. >> that shot will travel all the way. >> reporter: down below is the real shock. one bomb turns into thousands of weapons. scattered more than 100 yards. this was part of the pressure cooker. now mangles and razor sharp. no wonder so many people got hurt. instead of nails, we filled the pot with nuts from a hardware store. shot out like bullets, they pierced plywood. some melted from the heat. look at the back of it? how fast were these things moving? >> 1,000, 2,000 feet a second. >> reporter: tha >> reporter: that's faster than sound. >> this will hit you before the shock wave or the pressure wave does. >> reporter: you are hit before you hear it? >> that's right. >> here is what the blast looks like using a high-speed camera intense ball of fire, less than 20 feet across, but watch the white rings on the des rt floor,

that's the shock wave. engineers studies this blast say there is a lesson here for first responders. let's say i'm a first responder what die need to be aware of? >> a lot of slahrapnel around, hot, sharp, could be unexploded ordnance, parts of the bomb that didn't explode. that could go off at any time. >> for potential bystanders, only words of caution, by the time you hear the boom, you could already be hit. awareness of your surroundings could be the only defense. david mattingly, cnn, securo, new mexico. >> lock at th >> look at that explosion. what we can expect in boston today. boylston street, reopening to residents and business owners. some people are trickling in, escorted by police officers.

this evening, members of congress will be briefed by the fbi over their handling of tamerlan tsavraev and this afternoon enclosed house and senate intelligence meetings, investigators will look at how the tsavraev brothers obtained guns and if they had help. today, a private funeral for slain m.i.t. officer sean collier scheduled for today. a public memorial set for tomorrow. vice president joe biden and dr. jill biden scheduled to attend. christine ron manmans, back in york. more allegations that the syrian government has used chemical weapons, likely saran nerve gas on rebels. what is the latest? >> reporter: look, there was a statement made this morning by israeli brigadier general, commander of the research division of the intelligence director ate. according to his professional assessment and assessment of those inside of that

directorate, the regime did use chemical deadly weapons against armed rebels on a number of occasions in the past few months, and then he districtly ta directly talked about a march 19th attack where they showed signs of deadly chemical weapons and the likely used was sarin gas, including neutralizing and nonlethal chemical weapons. he does not indicate if israel has brand new intelligence or basing the assessment of video and information that has come out of that area from the past from other sources. he made comments this morning, speaking in hleb rue, at a comment by ins, israel institute for national studies, thinktank linked to tel aviv university, chock full of former members of israeli intelligence and military. >> sara sidner thank you so much.

federal authorities say 18-year-old abdela ahmed tenasi planned to join a terror group linked to al qaeda. he was arrested on friday with a one-way plane ticket to turkey. the suspect's father says he's a good kid. >> i know my kid, i raised my kid. we don't always see eye to eye. he wants me a little more religious, which i understand. i'm telling you, i wish -- i wish, i honestly, truly, from the bottom of my heart, wish that i'm as good of a person as he is. >> the teen charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and being held without bond. some possible new leads in a missing persons case that appears to be going cold. a new orleans school teacher last seasen on march 2 know2. they are using sonar to search for her.

traffic cameras showed her in her car that night driving alone. back on twitter, disgraced former new york congressman anthony weiner launching a new account, nearly two years after tweeting a sexually suggestive image that led to his political downfall. he is considering a run for new york city mayor this year. @anthonyweiner, just over 7,000 followers. singer neil diamond says that he is inspired to write a song. "sweet caroline" an an them for red sox nation. he made a surprising appearance at fenway and led a sing-along. the first game since the boston marathon bombing. no word on when we can expect the new neil diamond tour. but he says he's putting on fast track. floodwaters rising in the midwest, following communities hole. a town trying to save its homes. you're watching "starting

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more rain in the forecast means record flooding in the midwest will continue today.

grand river, more than two feet above flood stage in grand rapids, michigan. missouri in a state of emergency. and disaster areas in iowa and illinois. cnn jim spellman live in spring bay, illinois where residents are getting ready for more flooding from the rain-swollen illinois river. this is not over for them, is it, jim? >> reporter: not at all. the illinois river, it's banks, usually through the woods back here. see how far it's come up. two blocks into town. maybe 65, 70 homes here flooded. we haven't heard widespread reports of this kind of flooding. but for low-lying riverside towns, definitely a disaster. take a look. last-minute prep in spring bay, illinois, as floodwaters inundate the community. >> my home is the gray and white mobile home with the black shutters on it many. >> caller: you can't get to your

home by foot now? >> no. >> reporter: ever seen this much water come up? >> no. >> reporter: scary? >> yep. >> charlotte's home began to flood sunday, and the water continues to rise. >> yesterday, i cried all day. >> reporter: and today? >> today, i'm not try crying yet, but the more i see the water come up, the more i'll cry. >> reporter: the red cross is on site assessing the area as the fire chief prepares for the worst. >> this is the evacuation order? >> the evacuation notice. >> reporter: evacuation orders for low-lying areas. biggest fear? people ignoring the area and getting trapped in hard to reach parts of the community. >> some of the places i can't get to. that's a real big disadvantage to us. >> jared moved to spring bay a few months ago. >> welcome to the neighborhood. >> reporter: as the river began to flood, he built this home made levy with four dump trucks of sand. so far it's working.

>> we're doing all right, better than most. >> reporter: his neighbor, brad loman, among those not doing as well. >> it's kind of emotional to see the situation and, you know, it's -- it's a bad deal. >> reporter: he's worked at this bar, beamer's village inn since he was a teenager, eventually buying it. repairs will total more than 50,000. will he reopen? >> i don't think so. i think it will be a total loss. you reali really do. >> reporter: water rises so fast, but takes so long to go back into the river. a week and a half before it recedes enough to clean up the mess this will leave behind. >> thanks, jim. ahead on "starting point," still creative after all these years. this week's human factor. you're watching starting point. m we were having with our rear brakes, she immediately triaged the situation,

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everyone. cnn has learned that boston marathon terror suspect dzhokhar tsavraev claimed that he and his brother hatched their plot in defense of islam. tsavraev is communicating with investigators, even though he can hardly speak. he claims it was his older brother, tamerlan, the driving force behind boston marathon bombing attack. he insists there were no foreign

groups involved. we'll continue our reporting into the latest on the boston bombings in a few minutes. first, christine romans is back in new york with a number of other top stories we're following. a pioneer of psychedelic rock, but mental illness kept rocky erickson off the stage for years. but it's still about the music. we have the story in this week's human factor. >> rocky erickson is a legend. for fans of early psychedelic music. he's been making music since he was a child. >> it was something i could look forward to, you know, if i would get out of school early, i could go home and play guitar. >> reporter: 13th floor, elevators, you're going to miss me, hit the charts in the 1960s. >> rocky, 17, you know, making music, going on "american bandstand." ♪ >> his son recalls the day his

dad's world changed. >> the cops focused on him. got arrested for picking up a person, there was a joint found on him. >> reporter: to avoid prison, rocky pleaded insanity and was committed to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with paranoid skw paranoid schizophrenia, and treated with shock therapy and experimental medications. >> he described it to me. sometimes i hear something, and it i tell him to shut up. >> reporter: what kept him alive is music. >> fin the things that you have that you love are important and make sure you have them with you. ♪ >> reporter: every day is still a battle. but rocky says his mental health is improving.

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